Fandango Launches First-Ever TV Campaign Partnering With Exhibitors

Online ticketing site Fandango is pushing the theatrical experience by creating its first-ever national TV campaign that features stars including Kevin Hart, Mark Salling (TV’s “Glee”) and Dule Hill (“The West Wing”).

The 30-second spots, which will begin airing Thanksgiving Day, depict the actors in scenes going to the movies for either girl’s-night-out, date night or family outings. They also will feature tags for exhibitors such as Regal, AMC, Carmike and Alamo Drafthouse and will be localized to play in markets where those exhibs have locations.

“We’ve been in the process of evolving the Fandango brand,” said the company’s veep marketing officer Adam Rockmore. “Our whole goal is to get more people to understand and appreciate the moviegoing experience.”

Fandango partnered with Comcast to air the spots on various networks such as VH1, MTV and the Discovery Channel, all of which have over-indexed with Fandango customers, according to Rockmore. The campaign was created and produced by L.A.-based firm Stun Creative, along with its design and animation division Buster.

Hart, who has become a venerable brand at the box office, plays a father in one TV spot, calling himself “Fandango Man,” a superhero-like character equipped with the powers to avoid long lines and have first-choice seats. The campaign is meant to be “light and fun” that still “communicates a message,” Rockmore noted.

“This is emblematic of the statement we want to make that we’re all about our exhibition partners and the consumer,” he said.

Fandango is one of the top-selling online ticketers in the U.S., with more than 22,000 screens nationwide. The company boasts more than 41 million online and mobile visitors per month.